01_048506 ffris.qxp 11/2/06 3:30 PM Page iii Bass Guitar by Ryan Williams and Richard Hammond 01_048506 ffris.qxp 11/2/06 3:30 PM Page iv 01_048506 ffris.qxp 11/2/06 3:30 PM Page i Bass Guitar 01_048506 ffris.qxp 11/2/06 3:30 PM Page ii Hear Audio Tracks from This Book at wiley.com! In case you need a little help in understanding how a particular piece is supposed to sound, we’ve included audio tracks from this book on our Web site. You can access those files via this link: www.wiley.com/go/tyvbassguitar. Here’s a list of the tracks that you’ll find there: Chapter 4 Chapter 10 Tuning Notes Quarter-note rhythms Eighth-note rhythms Chapter 7 Sixteenth-note rhythms The C Major Scale Walking Bass Blues Shuffle Chapter 8 Rock Simple Song in C Major Riffs Simple Song in A Minor R&B Simple Song in G Major Reggae Country Chapter 9 Chord Examples Chapter 11 I-IV-V Progressions Slap Bass Examples I-VI-IV-V Progressions Chapter 12 II-V-I Progressions Rock Bass I-IV-II-V Progressions Metal Bass Jazz and Blues Bass R&B and Funk Bass 01_048506 ffris.qxp 11/2/06 3:30 PM Page iii Bass Guitar by Ryan Williams and Richard Hammond 01_048506 ffris.qxp 11/2/06 3:30 PM Page iv Teach Yourself VISUALLY™ Bass Guitar Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006926290 ISBN-13: 978-0-470-04850-4 ISBN-10: 0-470-04850-6 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Book production by Wiley Publishing, Inc. Composition Services 01_048506 ffris.qxp 11/2/06 3:30 PM Page v Praise for the Teach Yourself VISUALLY Series I just had to let you and your company know how great I think your books are. I just pur- chased my third Visual book (my first two are dog-eared now!) and, once again, your prod- uct has surpassed my expectations. The expertise, thought, and effort that go into each book are obvious, and I sincerely appreciate your efforts. Keep up the wonderful work! —Tracey Moore (Memphis, TN) I have several books from the Visual series and have always found them to be valuable resources. —Stephen P. Miller (Ballston Spa, NY) Thank you for the wonderful books you produce. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I dis- covered how I learn—visually. 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I will always buy your books because they are the best. —Seward Kollie (Dakar, Senegal) 01_048506 ffris.qxp 11/2/06 3:30 PM Page vi Credits Acquisitions Editor Pam Mourouzis Project Editor Suzanne Snyder Copy Editor Lori Cates Hand Technical Editor Scott Maxwell Editorial Manager Christina Stambaugh Publisher Cindy Kitchel Vice President and Executive Publisher Kathy Nebenhaus Interior Design Kathie Rickard Elizabeth Brooks Cover Design José Almaguer Interior Photography Matt Bowen Photographic Assistant Andrew Hanson Special Thanks... To Reno’s Music (www.guitarhotline.com), especially Steve Rohrer, owner, for granting us per- mission to show photographs of its equipment. 01_048506 ffris.qxp 11/2/06 3:30 PM Page vii About the Authors Ryan Williams is a bassist based in Indianapolis, Indiana. He’s shared the stage and studio with everybody and every- thing from Grammy-award-winning hip-hop artists to a full band of bagpipes and drums. He received his master’s degree in music technology from the Indiana University School of Music in 2003. He’s the author of Windows XP Digital Music For Dummies, and has written several articles and tutorials on music and music technology for several publications and websites. He’s a frequent panelist on digital music and home studios at music conferences around the nation. Technical editor Richard Hammond, originally from New Zealand, is now based in New York City. He started playing electric bass at age 13, and by age 20 he was one of the most in-demand acoustic and electric bassists in Auckland, playing numerous studio, touring, and television dates. He moved to Boston’s Berklee College of Music in 1991, earning a bache- lor’s degree in performance, after which followed a master’s degree in jazz from the Manhattan School of Music in 1996. Richard quickly established himself as a musician able to move freely between a vast array of styles with equal depth, fluidity, and sense of groove. As a professional bassist, he has recorded and toured with a diverse array of bands and solo artists, including Jonatha Brooke, Chiara Civello, the East Village Opera Company, Erasure, House of Red, Anjelique Kidjo, and Dar Williams. Acknowledgments This book could not have been completed without the tireless efforts of my acquisitions edi- tor Pam Mourouzis, project editor Suzanne Snyder, copy editor Lori Cates Hand, and tech- nical editors Richard Hammond and Scott Maxwell. Thanks are also due to Steve Hayes, Matt Fecher, and everybody at Indianapolismusic.net, About Music in Broad Ripple, and the Indiana University School of Music. I owe a great debt of gratitude to bassist and model extraordinaire Sharon Koltick. Please contact her at http://sharonjk.com, hire her, and pay her well. Thanks to the bassists who have inspired my playing over the years: Doug Pinnick, Meshell Ndegeocello, Doug Wimbish, Bootsy Collins, Seth Horan, and James Jamerson. Finally, many thanks to my wife, Jennifer Hughes, for putting up with the odd writing schedules, the low rumbling noises emanating from my practice room, the impulse purchases of vintage bass gear, and her love and patience in general.